Tours
Annapolis offers a variety of interesting locations from historic sites to scientific research facilities, from the United States Naval Academy to the Annapolis City Dock. Join your colleagues on tour and learn what the unique location of Annapolis can teach. All tours are pre-registration only and have a maximum capacity of 25 people each. Please wear weather appropriate gear and good walking shoes. Tours depart from the lobby of the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel.
TOUR # 1 | Four Rivers Heritage Area Tour of South County and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
10:00-3:00
$20 per person; meet in the hotel lobby for transportation pick-up
Take a visit to one of the preeminent natural research laboratories examining the impact of climate change, right in Annapolis’ backyard! The Smithsonian’s Environmental Research Center (SERC) is documenting the effects of climate change on the Chesapeake Bay and on ecosystems throughout the world. Join this field trip to understand more about SERC’s local and global research and the impacts of climate change and sea level rise. The campus is built on the site of former tobacco plantations and encompasses cultural and historical resources such as a former tobacco road and wharf site, a historic plantation house, plantation ruins and a citizen-science archaeological lab. The tour will include an opportunity to visit SERC’s new LEED platinum Mathias laboratory, the Global Change Research Wetland, and a drive through the Forest Global Earth Observatory plots.
Following a boxed lunch at SERC, participants will be transported to Beverly Triton Beach Park for an archaeologist led walk along the park trail to view cliff erosion, shell middens, and old beach jettys from past historic sites.
TOUR #2 | United States Naval Academy (USNA) Walking Tour
11:30-2:00
Participants will need a government issued ID to enter onto the Academy grounds. Meet in the hotel lobby to depart as a group; alternately, meet at Gate Three of the Naval Academy no later than 12:00
Hosted by the USNA Sea Level Rise Advisory Council. Join David Kriebel, Professor of Naval Architecture and Naval Engineering, and Past Oceanography Chair Emil Petruncio, co-chairs of the Advisory Council, and Sara Phillips, architect of USNA for a two hour overview and walking tour of the USNA campus.
The United States Naval Academy, located immediately adjacent to the Annapolis Historic Landmark District, is actively responding to issues related to rising seas and sinking lands. Following the devastation of Hurricane Isabel in 2003 which caused $105 million worth of damage to Academy property, officials have established a USNA Sea Level Rise Advisory Council to address programmatic improvements to campus property and the adjacent shoreline. Hear how Academy officials are working with the City of Annapolis to evaluate sea level rise projections and formulate a plan. A briefing at Samson Hall will be followed by a half-mile walk to examine a number of mitigation strategies implemented throughout the historic campus.
TOUR #3 | Annapolis City Dock “Weather It Together” Tour, Adaptation Design and Economics
12:00-2:00
“Weather It Together,” a multi-agency planning effort led by the City of Annapolis, will result in the development of mitigation strategies appropriate to Annapolis for use by private property owners, businesses and nonprofit organizations to prepare for and reduce the risk associated with major storms, flooding and other natural disasters. Join Architect Michael Dowling and Climate Engineer Don Bain of the “Weather It Together” team for a half-mile walk and talk along the City Dock area to discuss adaptation design and the economics of sea level rise. Local architect Leo Wilson of Hammond/Wilson Architects will then provide an overview of three ongoing construction projects on Compromise Street, including the Annapolis Yacht Club, and discuss how redesign is influenced by FEMA and municipal regulations within the flood plain area.
TOUR #4 | Miss Anne Cruise Along Spa Creek, sponsored by Watermark Tours
1:55-2:45
$16 per person – Fee is due in cash at time of boarding
Meet at Watermark pick-up location on Ego Alley and City Dock.
This 40 minute Annapolis boat tour along the Annapolis harbor provides scenic views of the residential areas in and around the Historic District, the headwaters of Spa Creek, and along the banks of the U.S. Naval Academy. The narration covers the area’s history from the 17th century to the present. The tour is weather permitting and may be cancelled due to inclement weather.